April 21, 2012

Her are Karen Behm’s notes from this week’s Council Transportation Committee meeting…

Most of the meeting time was spent discussing the Central Area Plan and how to fund it. Primarily the 12th street potential over or underpass of I-90. good questions etc. – topic too extensive to explain but no direct impact to our mobility at this point in time.

The 2nd agenda item was the Transportation Improvement Plan – The 6 year TIP and Gary handed out a list of scheduled presentations

Juniper St: – didn’t quite catch all, but basically a sidewalk for rest of the street – maybe only on north side. [They're adding sidewalk on the north side of the street from the Gilman Village driveway on Juniper behind the Boarding House Cafe to the corner with Rainier Blvd. Also one very short missing bit on the south side of the street --jy]

Most of this work will be implemented in July.

Sheldon mentioned that WA Dept of Ecology grant program remained intact with the final State budget. What that means is the City is hopefully going to get a grant to fund the rest of Rainier Ave improvements (trail, impervious pavement, and Confluence Park streetside parking). Not happening this year. But hopefully soon. If grant is received, that funds about ½ of the 1.3 mil project. Would have to spend the grant dollars by 2015.

April 19, 2012

Signs have gone up at all the entrances to the East Lake Sammamish Trail in Issaquah alerting users to the imminent lengthy closure of the trail for paving. Here are photos of the sign and its map with a transcription below.

Click for bigger versions (and click again on Flickr for bigger still).

The sign reads:

Construction of the East Lake Sammamish Master Plan Trail Project will require the closure of the southernmost 2.2 miles of the trail corridor in Issaquah for up to twelve months beginning in spring 2012. The section of the Issaquah-Preston Trail between the ELST and East Lake Sammamish Parkway will be closed as well.

We appreciate your patience as we work toward building a better trail!

Information about the East Lake Sammamish Master Plan Trail Project, including project updates, can be accessed at www.kingcounty.gov/eastlakesammamishtrail or by calling Gina Auld, Capital Project Manager, at 206-263-7281.

Master Plan Trail Features

Paved trail surface, soft-surface shoulders and vegetated buffer

Traffic control measures (signage and crossing treatments) where the trail crosses private driveways or roadways

Stormwater management system to control runoff from the trail

Retaining walls to support slopes and reduce embankment areas

Crosswalks at public access points

Litter receptacles, doggy litter bag boxes, and trail etiquette signs

Bollards at trail crossings to prevent unauthorized vehicles from driving onto the trail

Don’t expect too much from the project site. They haven’t updated it since January when the project went out to bid.

Start thinking about alternate routes if you’re currently a regular user of this trail. This is the best I-90 crossing we have even as gravel so its loss will be keenly felt during construction. Hopefully the weather and Murphy will cooperate and they’ll finish in record time!